Woman survives eight days trapped in elevator
Agence France-Presse
January 15, 2010
Police and firefighters in Spain have rescued a woman who spent eight days trapped in the elevator of her apartment building, police said Thursday.
The 35-year-old was found conscious but disoriented and was taken to hospital after she was found in the private elevator in the town of Sitges near the northeastern city of Barcelona, police said.
The police were alerted by relatives in Madrid who had reported her missing, and then heard her cries for help when they visited the building.
Police said it was not clear how the woman, who lived alone, managed to survive for that length of time.
The elevator had apparently stalled due to an electrical fault.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 3&sponsor=
AMAZING STORIES
Rare Turkish twins with different fathers trigger divorce
Herald News Services
January 30, 2010
A Turkish man decided to divorce his wife after DNA tests showed he was the father of only one of their twin boys, the mass-circulation Sabah newspaper reported Friday.
Suspicious that his wife had been unfaithful, the security guard from Istanbul, identified only as A.K., had DNA tests performed on the three-year-olds.
The tests established with a 99.99 per cent certainty that he was the father of only one of the boys, Sabah reported, adding that the result was confirmed by a forensic medicine institute on the request of the court handling the divorce case.
The mother, identified as C.K., had maintained a relationship with a lover she had dated before her family forced her to marry A.K., the daily said.
The phenomenon of twins with different fathers -- known scientifically as heteropaternal superfecundation -- is very rare in humans.
It becomes possible in rare circumstances when a woman produces two ova in one menstrual cycle, said Prof. Rusen Aytac, head of the gynecology department at Ankara University's medical faculty.
"And if this woman has sexual intercourse with two different men at short intervals, this can result in a twin pregnancy, with each egg carrying a different genetic material," he said.
A.K. kept the boy he had fathered and disowned the other one, which ended up in a state care institution, Sabah said.
C.K., for her part, has received death threats both from her own and her husband's family and secured a court order preventing relatives from coming within 500 metres of her, the paper added.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Rar ... story.html
Herald News Services
January 30, 2010
A Turkish man decided to divorce his wife after DNA tests showed he was the father of only one of their twin boys, the mass-circulation Sabah newspaper reported Friday.
Suspicious that his wife had been unfaithful, the security guard from Istanbul, identified only as A.K., had DNA tests performed on the three-year-olds.
The tests established with a 99.99 per cent certainty that he was the father of only one of the boys, Sabah reported, adding that the result was confirmed by a forensic medicine institute on the request of the court handling the divorce case.
The mother, identified as C.K., had maintained a relationship with a lover she had dated before her family forced her to marry A.K., the daily said.
The phenomenon of twins with different fathers -- known scientifically as heteropaternal superfecundation -- is very rare in humans.
It becomes possible in rare circumstances when a woman produces two ova in one menstrual cycle, said Prof. Rusen Aytac, head of the gynecology department at Ankara University's medical faculty.
"And if this woman has sexual intercourse with two different men at short intervals, this can result in a twin pregnancy, with each egg carrying a different genetic material," he said.
A.K. kept the boy he had fathered and disowned the other one, which ended up in a state care institution, Sabah said.
C.K., for her part, has received death threats both from her own and her husband's family and secured a court order preventing relatives from coming within 500 metres of her, the paper added.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Rar ... story.html
You Have to see this it's great!!!!
Ukraine's Got Talent, Kseniya Simonova .... She is Beautiful and Amazing!!
Dont miss this amazing Video Clip . . first read it properly..
This video shows the winner of "Ukraine's Got Talent", Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II. Her talent, which admittedly is a strange one, is mesmeric to watch.
The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about $130,000.00
She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.
It is replaced by a woman's face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman's face appears.
She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier.
This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.
In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.
The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine , resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.
Kseniya Simonova says:
"I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there's surely no bigger compliment."
Please take time out to see this amazing piece of art.
click on the link below -
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vOhf3OvRXKg
Ukraine's Got Talent, Kseniya Simonova .... She is Beautiful and Amazing!!
Dont miss this amazing Video Clip . . first read it properly..
This video shows the winner of "Ukraine's Got Talent", Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II. Her talent, which admittedly is a strange one, is mesmeric to watch.
The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about $130,000.00
She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.
It is replaced by a woman's face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman's face appears.
She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier.
This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.
In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.
The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine , resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.
Kseniya Simonova says:
"I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there's surely no bigger compliment."
Please take time out to see this amazing piece of art.
click on the link below -
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vOhf3OvRXKg
http://www.theismaili.org/cms/944/
Trial without sight: How one woman's triumph agianst the odds allowed her to give back to society
Imagine swimming 750 metres, then biking 20 kilometres, and finally running 5 kilometres in a span of a few hours. Sounds like an intense physical challenge? How about taking this on without your sense of sight?
Rozina Issani celebrates with fellow members of the Blind Guys Tri Team. Photo: Courtesy of Rozina Issani
In July 2009, together with 18 other blind athletes, I competed in the third annual Joe's Team Triathlon at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind's (CNIB) camp along the coast of Lake Joseph in Muskoka, Ontario. We had been training since September 2008 with dedicated guides who were there to assist us during each of the three events. Forming the Blind Guys Tri Team, we joined forces with 400 sighted athletes and managed to raise over CAD $625 000 to support cancer research at The Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.
Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, I am now 46-years-old. I arrived in Canada in 1983 with my parents, who hoped that my sight might improve with the advanced medical care available. Although no cure could be found for my blindness, the doctors referred me and my family to CNIB. The training they offered improved my mobility and coordination, enabled me to live without a caregiver and improved the overall quality of my life.
Learning the necessary skills for living independently cultivated a novel sense of confidence within me. I even became adept at banking and cooking. After just two years of training I became a cashier, and a few years later I found another job as a receptionist at the Ontario Trillium Foundation, one of the largest granting foundations in North America. I have now been working with Trillium for more than 18 years.
Rozina Issani and her guide Kate cross the finish line at the third annual Joe's Team Triathlon in Muskoka, Ontario. Photo: Courtesy of Rozina Issani
In fall of 2008, CNIB launched their first Triathlon Team for the Blind and I was chosen from across the country to compete in this groundbreaking event. I was driven by a sense of overwhelming gratitude for the generous donations made in support of services for the blind and visually impaired. Through this support, I have been able to overcome my own setbacks, and I now wanted to contribute to improving the lives of others.
Admittedly, the most difficult obstacle during my training was learning to swim. While my fellow athletes — all good swimmers — cheerfully waded into the water during the first trial, I was extremely reluctant to go beyond my waist-deep comfort level. When the coach noticed my hesitation, he handed me a styrofoam board and I "surfed" my way through the swimming segment of the mini-triathlon. It was then that I vowed to take swimming lessons.
Learning such a skill at my age was very difficult, and being unable to see made the quest more trying and frustrating. However, fuelled by a determination that helped me overcome past obstacles, I was ready within six months to join my fellow athletes at the finish line.
Rozina Issani receives a warm embrace from a fellow team member. Photo: Courtesy of Rozina Issani
When the day of the triathlon finally arrived, it was thundering and pouring rain, which not only washed out the campgrounds but also dampened our spirits. Miraculously, the sky cleared up just before the race was scheduled to begin. We immediately shifted gears; the moment for which we had been preparing for almost a year had finally arrived.
Jumping right into our wetsuits, we were off — each of us with our guides, transitioning from one event right to the next. Of course, the most difficult segment for me was still the swimming, but with my guide, Kate, I was able to conquer the water. By the time we started running, the sun had dried up the ground.
After a challenging 2 hours and 25 minutes, I triumphantly crossed the finish line. It felt exhilarating! I had accomplished a great feat not only for myself but for the benefit of others as well. Completing the triathlon allowed me to express my gratitude to my wonderful parents, friends and colleagues who showed me unwavering support.
Rozina Issani with her guide, Kate. Photo: Courtesy of Rozina Issani
Joe Finley, the founder of Joe's Team, said it best: "Our vision is that blind people take part in the triathlon just like everyone else so they finally have the opportunity to challenge themselves and show everyone who they are."
Trial without sight: How one woman's triumph agianst the odds allowed her to give back to society
Imagine swimming 750 metres, then biking 20 kilometres, and finally running 5 kilometres in a span of a few hours. Sounds like an intense physical challenge? How about taking this on without your sense of sight?
Rozina Issani celebrates with fellow members of the Blind Guys Tri Team. Photo: Courtesy of Rozina Issani
In July 2009, together with 18 other blind athletes, I competed in the third annual Joe's Team Triathlon at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind's (CNIB) camp along the coast of Lake Joseph in Muskoka, Ontario. We had been training since September 2008 with dedicated guides who were there to assist us during each of the three events. Forming the Blind Guys Tri Team, we joined forces with 400 sighted athletes and managed to raise over CAD $625 000 to support cancer research at The Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.
Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, I am now 46-years-old. I arrived in Canada in 1983 with my parents, who hoped that my sight might improve with the advanced medical care available. Although no cure could be found for my blindness, the doctors referred me and my family to CNIB. The training they offered improved my mobility and coordination, enabled me to live without a caregiver and improved the overall quality of my life.
Learning the necessary skills for living independently cultivated a novel sense of confidence within me. I even became adept at banking and cooking. After just two years of training I became a cashier, and a few years later I found another job as a receptionist at the Ontario Trillium Foundation, one of the largest granting foundations in North America. I have now been working with Trillium for more than 18 years.
Rozina Issani and her guide Kate cross the finish line at the third annual Joe's Team Triathlon in Muskoka, Ontario. Photo: Courtesy of Rozina Issani
In fall of 2008, CNIB launched their first Triathlon Team for the Blind and I was chosen from across the country to compete in this groundbreaking event. I was driven by a sense of overwhelming gratitude for the generous donations made in support of services for the blind and visually impaired. Through this support, I have been able to overcome my own setbacks, and I now wanted to contribute to improving the lives of others.
Admittedly, the most difficult obstacle during my training was learning to swim. While my fellow athletes — all good swimmers — cheerfully waded into the water during the first trial, I was extremely reluctant to go beyond my waist-deep comfort level. When the coach noticed my hesitation, he handed me a styrofoam board and I "surfed" my way through the swimming segment of the mini-triathlon. It was then that I vowed to take swimming lessons.
Learning such a skill at my age was very difficult, and being unable to see made the quest more trying and frustrating. However, fuelled by a determination that helped me overcome past obstacles, I was ready within six months to join my fellow athletes at the finish line.
Rozina Issani receives a warm embrace from a fellow team member. Photo: Courtesy of Rozina Issani
When the day of the triathlon finally arrived, it was thundering and pouring rain, which not only washed out the campgrounds but also dampened our spirits. Miraculously, the sky cleared up just before the race was scheduled to begin. We immediately shifted gears; the moment for which we had been preparing for almost a year had finally arrived.
Jumping right into our wetsuits, we were off — each of us with our guides, transitioning from one event right to the next. Of course, the most difficult segment for me was still the swimming, but with my guide, Kate, I was able to conquer the water. By the time we started running, the sun had dried up the ground.
After a challenging 2 hours and 25 minutes, I triumphantly crossed the finish line. It felt exhilarating! I had accomplished a great feat not only for myself but for the benefit of others as well. Completing the triathlon allowed me to express my gratitude to my wonderful parents, friends and colleagues who showed me unwavering support.
Rozina Issani with her guide, Kate. Photo: Courtesy of Rozina Issani
Joe Finley, the founder of Joe's Team, said it best: "Our vision is that blind people take part in the triathlon just like everyone else so they finally have the opportunity to challenge themselves and show everyone who they are."
-
From_Alamut
- Posts: 666
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 am
The Woman: a parable
By: Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller
A man was walking through the marketplace one afternoon when, just as the muezzin began the call to prayer, his eye fell on a woman’s back. She was strangely attractive, though dressed in fulsome black, a veil over head and face, and she now turned to him as if somehow conscious of his over-lingering regard, and gave him a slight but meaningful nod before she rounded the corner into the lane of silk sellers. As if struck by a bolt from heaven, the man was at once drawn, his heart a prisoner of that look, forever. In vain he struggled with his heart, offering it one sound reason after another to go his way—wasn’t it time to pray?—but it was finished: there was nothing but to follow.
He hastened after her, turning into the market of silks, breathing from the exertion of catching up with the woman, who had unexpectedly outpaced him and even now lingered for an instant at the far end of the market, many shops ahead. She turned toward him, and he thought he could see a flash of a mischievious smile from beneath the black muslin of her veil, as she—was it his imagination?—beckoned to him again.
The poor man was beside himself. Who was she? The daughter of a wealthy family? What did she want? He requickened his steps and turned into the lane where she had disappeared. And so she led him, always beyond reach, always tantalizingly ahead, now through the weapons market, now the oil merchants’, now the leather sellers’; farther and farther from where they began. The feeling within him grew rather than decreased. Was she mad? On and on she led, to the very edge of town.
The sun declined and set, and there she was, before him as ever. Now they were come, of all places, to the City of Tombs. Had he been in his normal senses, he would have been afraid, but indeed, he now reflected, stranger places than this had seen a lovers’ tryst.
There were scarcely twenty cubits between them when he saw her look back, and, giving a little start, she skipped down the steps and through the great bronze door of what seemed to be a very old sepulcher. A soberer moment might have seen the man pause, but in his present state, there was no turning back, and he went down the steps and slid in after her.
Inside, as his eyes saw after a moment, there were two flights of steps that led down to a second door, from whence a light shone, and which he equally passed through. He found himself in a large room, somehow unsuspected by the outside world, lit with candles upon its walls. There sat the woman, opposite the door on a pallet of rich stuff in her full black dress, still veiled, reclining on a pillow against the far wall. To the right of the pallet, the man noticed a well set in the floor.
“Lock the door behind you,” she said in a low, husky voice that was almost a whisper, “and bring the key.”
He did as he was told.
She gestured carelessly at the well. “Throw it in.”
A ray of sense seemed to penetrate for a moment the clouds over his understanding, and a bystander, had there been one, might have detected the slightest of pauses.
“Go on,” she said laughingly, “You didn’t hesitate to miss the prayer as you followed me here, did you?”
He said nothing.
“The time for sunset prayer has almost finished as well,” she said with gentle mockery. “Why worry? Go on, throw it in. You want to please me, don’t you?”
He extended his hand over the mouth of the well, and watched as he let the key drop. An uncanny feeling rose from the pit of his stomach as moments passed but no sound came. He felt wonder, then horror, then comprehension.
“It is time to see me,” she said, and she lifted her veil to reveal not the face of a fresh young girl, but of a hideous old crone, all darkness and vice, not a particle of light anywhere in its eldritch lines.
“See me well,” she said. “My name is Dunya, This World. I am your beloved. You spent your time running after me, and now you have caught up with me. In your grave. Welcome, welcome.”
At this she laughed and laughed, until she shook herself into a small mound of fine dust, whose fitful shadows, as the candles went out, returned to the darkness one by one.
Here is the video of that parable about the woman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8elNqiQlqPk
By: Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller
A man was walking through the marketplace one afternoon when, just as the muezzin began the call to prayer, his eye fell on a woman’s back. She was strangely attractive, though dressed in fulsome black, a veil over head and face, and she now turned to him as if somehow conscious of his over-lingering regard, and gave him a slight but meaningful nod before she rounded the corner into the lane of silk sellers. As if struck by a bolt from heaven, the man was at once drawn, his heart a prisoner of that look, forever. In vain he struggled with his heart, offering it one sound reason after another to go his way—wasn’t it time to pray?—but it was finished: there was nothing but to follow.
He hastened after her, turning into the market of silks, breathing from the exertion of catching up with the woman, who had unexpectedly outpaced him and even now lingered for an instant at the far end of the market, many shops ahead. She turned toward him, and he thought he could see a flash of a mischievious smile from beneath the black muslin of her veil, as she—was it his imagination?—beckoned to him again.
The poor man was beside himself. Who was she? The daughter of a wealthy family? What did she want? He requickened his steps and turned into the lane where she had disappeared. And so she led him, always beyond reach, always tantalizingly ahead, now through the weapons market, now the oil merchants’, now the leather sellers’; farther and farther from where they began. The feeling within him grew rather than decreased. Was she mad? On and on she led, to the very edge of town.
The sun declined and set, and there she was, before him as ever. Now they were come, of all places, to the City of Tombs. Had he been in his normal senses, he would have been afraid, but indeed, he now reflected, stranger places than this had seen a lovers’ tryst.
There were scarcely twenty cubits between them when he saw her look back, and, giving a little start, she skipped down the steps and through the great bronze door of what seemed to be a very old sepulcher. A soberer moment might have seen the man pause, but in his present state, there was no turning back, and he went down the steps and slid in after her.
Inside, as his eyes saw after a moment, there were two flights of steps that led down to a second door, from whence a light shone, and which he equally passed through. He found himself in a large room, somehow unsuspected by the outside world, lit with candles upon its walls. There sat the woman, opposite the door on a pallet of rich stuff in her full black dress, still veiled, reclining on a pillow against the far wall. To the right of the pallet, the man noticed a well set in the floor.
“Lock the door behind you,” she said in a low, husky voice that was almost a whisper, “and bring the key.”
He did as he was told.
She gestured carelessly at the well. “Throw it in.”
A ray of sense seemed to penetrate for a moment the clouds over his understanding, and a bystander, had there been one, might have detected the slightest of pauses.
“Go on,” she said laughingly, “You didn’t hesitate to miss the prayer as you followed me here, did you?”
He said nothing.
“The time for sunset prayer has almost finished as well,” she said with gentle mockery. “Why worry? Go on, throw it in. You want to please me, don’t you?”
He extended his hand over the mouth of the well, and watched as he let the key drop. An uncanny feeling rose from the pit of his stomach as moments passed but no sound came. He felt wonder, then horror, then comprehension.
“It is time to see me,” she said, and she lifted her veil to reveal not the face of a fresh young girl, but of a hideous old crone, all darkness and vice, not a particle of light anywhere in its eldritch lines.
“See me well,” she said. “My name is Dunya, This World. I am your beloved. You spent your time running after me, and now you have caught up with me. In your grave. Welcome, welcome.”
At this she laughed and laughed, until she shook herself into a small mound of fine dust, whose fitful shadows, as the candles went out, returned to the darkness one by one.
Here is the video of that parable about the woman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8elNqiQlqPk
Mom gets 15 years for killing 6 babies
Agence France-Presse
March 19, 2010
A court on Thursday sentenced a French mother to 15 years in jail for smothering or strangling to death six of her newborn babies.
Celine Lesage, 38, risked a life jail sentence with no possibility of parole for 18 years for first degree murder. Prosecutors had demanded a 16-year jail term.
Lesage, a petite brunette who has a teenaged son, on Monday admitted before the judge in the Channel town of Coutances to killing the six infants between 1999 and 2007.
"I realize that I killed my babies, the children that I had with my two partners, but it's too difficult," she said during the hearing. "I want to understand but I can't."
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 9&sponsor=
Agence France-Presse
March 19, 2010
A court on Thursday sentenced a French mother to 15 years in jail for smothering or strangling to death six of her newborn babies.
Celine Lesage, 38, risked a life jail sentence with no possibility of parole for 18 years for first degree murder. Prosecutors had demanded a 16-year jail term.
Lesage, a petite brunette who has a teenaged son, on Monday admitted before the judge in the Channel town of Coutances to killing the six infants between 1999 and 2007.
"I realize that I killed my babies, the children that I had with my two partners, but it's too difficult," she said during the hearing. "I want to understand but I can't."
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 9&sponsor=
Woman won't be caned over beerkmaherali wrote:Beer-drinking model wants public caning
Herald News Services
August 21, 2009
A model who will be caned six times in Malaysia next week for drinking beer appealed Thursday for her punishment to be carried out in public to deter other Muslims.
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, was also fined the equivalent of $1,500 Cdn last month after she pleaded guilty to drinking alcohol at a hotel nightclub in the eastern state of Pahang last year.
She will be the first woman in the multicultural country to be caned under Islamic law, with the punishment set to be meted out in a female prison.
But the Malaysian mother of two, who lives in neighbouring Singapore, said Thursday she wanted to be caned publicly.
"It will be a more effective way to educate Muslims not to drink if I am caned in public. I want to send this message to other Muslims and I am sincere," Kartika told Agence-France Presse. "I am willing to be caned publicly or in front of a mosque, but the prosecutor has told my dad today that this cannot be done. I also requested for journalists to witness the caning in prison, but it is not allowed."
Kartika said she had the support of her parents and husband to be publicly punished.
Case raises concerns about intolerance in Malaysia
ReutersApril 2, 2010
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno will avoid a caning for drinking beer at a hotel two years ago.
Photograph by: AFP-Getty Images, ReutersMalaysia has dropped a caning sentence imposed on a woman for drinking beer, a case that has raised concerns of intolerance in the mainly Muslim country.
Shukarno Mutalib, the father of the 32-year-old woman, told Reuters he had received a letter from Islamic authorities indicating the caning has been replaced by another penalty, but few details had been given.
"I have also been asked to present my daughter before the religious authorities on Friday for her to undergo a 'three-week' punishment, but we do not know yet whether it will be community service or detention," he said.
Islamic affairs officials could not be immediately contacted.
The woman, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, was sentenced to six strokes of the cane and a fine after she was caught drinking beer by Islamic enforcement officials two years ago at a hotel lounge in the central state of Pahang.
In February, three Muslim women were caned for the first time under Islamic laws for having sex out of wedlock.
Malaysia practises a dual-track legal system, with Islamic criminal and family law applicable to Muslims. Non-Muslims, who make up about 45 per cent of Malaysia's 28 million residents, are subject to civil law.
The canings reflect growing conservatism in a country long portraying itself as a moderate Islamic state and have begun to concern investors.
Since taking office in April last year, Prime Minister Najib Razak has pledged political and economic reforms to woo investments and reverse his ruling coalition's historic election losses in 2008.
But ethnic and religious tensions have worsened following a row sparked after a court in December last year allowed Christians to use the word Allah.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno will avoid a caning for drinking beer at a hotel two years ago.Photograph by: AFP-Getty Images, Reuters
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 0&sponsor=
Turkish singer sets blind speed record
Reuters
April 3, 2010
Metin Senturk celebrates his Guinness world blind speed record Friday, reaching 292.89 km/h unaccompanied in Sanliurfa, Turkey.
Photograph by: Murad Sezer, Reuters, ReutersT urkish pop singer Metin Senturk became the world's fastest unaccompanied blind driver on Friday and said he felt he had danced with death.
Senturk wept as he emerged from a Ferrari F430 at Urfa airport in eastern Turkey to learn from Guinness World Records officials his average speed of 292.89 kilometres per hour broke the previous record of 284 km/h, held by a British bank manager.
"I don't think there are any words to describe this feeling. I am really happy. It was really hard, like a dance with death," said Senturk, who has been blind since age three. Following Senturk in another vehicle was former rally driver Volkan Isik, who guided the blind man by radio.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 5&sponsor=
Reuters
April 3, 2010
Metin Senturk celebrates his Guinness world blind speed record Friday, reaching 292.89 km/h unaccompanied in Sanliurfa, Turkey.
Photograph by: Murad Sezer, Reuters, ReutersT urkish pop singer Metin Senturk became the world's fastest unaccompanied blind driver on Friday and said he felt he had danced with death.
Senturk wept as he emerged from a Ferrari F430 at Urfa airport in eastern Turkey to learn from Guinness World Records officials his average speed of 292.89 kilometres per hour broke the previous record of 284 km/h, held by a British bank manager.
"I don't think there are any words to describe this feeling. I am really happy. It was really hard, like a dance with death," said Senturk, who has been blind since age three. Following Senturk in another vehicle was former rally driver Volkan Isik, who guided the blind man by radio.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 5&sponsor=
Full face transplant 'a success'
By Helen Briggs
Health reporter, BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8639437.stm
Doctors say scars will be concealed
A team of 30 Spanish doctors say they have successfully performed the world's first full face transplant.
A man injured in a shooting accident received the entire facial skin and muscles - including cheekbones, nose, lips and teeth - of a donor.
The man is recovering well after the 22-hour operation, said a spokesperson from Vall d'Hebron University Hospital.
Another 10 face transplants have been carried out around the world, but this is believed to be the most complex.
Hospital spokesperson Bianca Bont told the BBC: "This is the first total face transplant.
"There have been 10 operations of this kind in the world - this is the first to transplant all of the face and some bones of the face."
He had been left unable to breathe, swallow, or talk properly after an accident five years ago.
He was considered for a full face transplant after nine previous operations failed.
A team of 30 experts carried out the operation on 20 March at the hospital in Barcelona.
The man has since seen himself in the mirror and was calm and satisfied, the leader of the medical team, Joan Pere Barret, told a news conference.
'Achievement'
The first partial face transplant was carried out by doctors in Amiens, France, in 2005.
Isabelle Dinoire, a 38-year-old woman who had been mauled by her dog, received a new nose, chin and lips.
Doctors revealed details at a news conference Hospital)
Since then partial face transplants have been carried out in China and the US.
British experts say the Spanish operation may be the most complex yet.
It appears to include more bone and much more of the lower part of the face.
A spokesperson for the UK's Facial Transplantation Research Team, which has ethical permission to carry out a full face transplant, said it was "a tremendous achievement".
"This appears to be the most complex facial transplant operation carried out so far worldwide," he said.
"It once again shows how facial transplantation can help a small number of people who are the most severely facially injured and for whom reconstructive surgery cannot and has not worked."
HOW SURGEONS REBUILT PATIENT'S FACE
1. Patient lost jaw, nose and other parts of his face in shooting accident.
2. Donor's facial skin, muscles, nose, cheekbones, teeth and jawbone used to rebuild patient's face. Metal plates used to support new facial structure, which included reconstructing the roof of the mouth.
3. Donor's nerves, blood vessels and skin connected to patient. Patient will have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life.
Face transplants
Face from dead donor is removed in four hour operation
Veins, arteries, skin, muscles, and bones are taken
The patient is anaesthetised partway through surgery on the donor and any previous skin grafts are removed
The donor face and accompanying blood vessels are stitched to the patient using complex microvascular surgery
The man was operated on in March, but details of the operation have only just been revealed.
Source: Vall D'Hebron Hospital, Barcelona
By Helen Briggs
Health reporter, BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8639437.stm
Doctors say scars will be concealed
A team of 30 Spanish doctors say they have successfully performed the world's first full face transplant.
A man injured in a shooting accident received the entire facial skin and muscles - including cheekbones, nose, lips and teeth - of a donor.
The man is recovering well after the 22-hour operation, said a spokesperson from Vall d'Hebron University Hospital.
Another 10 face transplants have been carried out around the world, but this is believed to be the most complex.
Hospital spokesperson Bianca Bont told the BBC: "This is the first total face transplant.
"There have been 10 operations of this kind in the world - this is the first to transplant all of the face and some bones of the face."
He had been left unable to breathe, swallow, or talk properly after an accident five years ago.
He was considered for a full face transplant after nine previous operations failed.
A team of 30 experts carried out the operation on 20 March at the hospital in Barcelona.
The man has since seen himself in the mirror and was calm and satisfied, the leader of the medical team, Joan Pere Barret, told a news conference.
'Achievement'
The first partial face transplant was carried out by doctors in Amiens, France, in 2005.
Isabelle Dinoire, a 38-year-old woman who had been mauled by her dog, received a new nose, chin and lips.
Doctors revealed details at a news conference Hospital)
Since then partial face transplants have been carried out in China and the US.
British experts say the Spanish operation may be the most complex yet.
It appears to include more bone and much more of the lower part of the face.
A spokesperson for the UK's Facial Transplantation Research Team, which has ethical permission to carry out a full face transplant, said it was "a tremendous achievement".
"This appears to be the most complex facial transplant operation carried out so far worldwide," he said.
"It once again shows how facial transplantation can help a small number of people who are the most severely facially injured and for whom reconstructive surgery cannot and has not worked."
HOW SURGEONS REBUILT PATIENT'S FACE
1. Patient lost jaw, nose and other parts of his face in shooting accident.
2. Donor's facial skin, muscles, nose, cheekbones, teeth and jawbone used to rebuild patient's face. Metal plates used to support new facial structure, which included reconstructing the roof of the mouth.
3. Donor's nerves, blood vessels and skin connected to patient. Patient will have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life.
Face transplants
Face from dead donor is removed in four hour operation
Veins, arteries, skin, muscles, and bones are taken
The patient is anaesthetised partway through surgery on the donor and any previous skin grafts are removed
The donor face and accompanying blood vessels are stitched to the patient using complex microvascular surgery
The man was operated on in March, but details of the operation have only just been revealed.
Source: Vall D'Hebron Hospital, Barcelona
-
From_Alamut
- Posts: 666
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 am
Re: AMAZING STORIES
TOXIC SEAFOOD WARNING
beware of imported seafoods... many cannot pass minimum food standards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0F8x4i5 ... re=related
beware of imported seafoods... many cannot pass minimum food standards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0F8x4i5 ... re=related
Yogi who doesn't need food or water astounds scientists
Indian holy man didn't eat or drink for 15 days while under researchers' surveillance
By Rajesh Joshi, Agence France-Presse May 11, 2010
AHMEDABAD, India -An 83-year-old Indian holy man who says he has spent seven decades without food or water has astounded a team of military doctors who studied him during a two-week observation period.
Prahlad Jani spent two weeks in a hospital in the western India state of Gujarat under constant surveillance from a team of 30 medics equipped with cameras and closed circuit television.
During the period, he neither ate nor drank and did not go to the toilet.
"We still do not know how he survives," neurologist Sudhir Shah told reporters after the end of the experiment.
"It is still a mystery what kind of phenomenon this is."
The long-haired and bearded yogi was sealed in a hospital in the city of Ahmedabad as part of a study initiated by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the state defence and military research institute.
The DRDO hopes that the findings, which are set to be released in greater detail in several months, could help soldiers survive without food and drink, assist astronauts or even save the lives of people trapped in natural disasters.
"[Jani's] only contact with any kind of fluid was during gargling and bathing periodically during the period," G. Ilavazahagan, director of India's Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, said in a statement.
Jani has since returned home to his village near Ambaji in northern Gujarat where he will resume his regular routine revolving around yoga and meditation.
He says that he was blessed by a goddess at a young age, which gave him special powers.
During the 15-day observation, which ended Thursday, the doctors took scans of Jani's organs, brain and blood vessels, as well as doing tests on his heart, lungs and memory capacity.
"The reports were all in the pre-determined safety range through the observation period," Shah told reporters at a press conference last week.
Other results from DNA analysis, molecular biological studies and tests on his hormones, enzymes, energy metabolism and genes will take months to come through.
"If Jani does not derive energy from food and water, he must be doing that from energy sources around him, sunlight being one," said Shah.
"As medical practitioners we cannot shut our eyes to possibilities, to a source of energy other than calories."
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Yogi+doesn+ ... z0neDyBIy1
Indian holy man didn't eat or drink for 15 days while under researchers' surveillance
By Rajesh Joshi, Agence France-Presse May 11, 2010
AHMEDABAD, India -An 83-year-old Indian holy man who says he has spent seven decades without food or water has astounded a team of military doctors who studied him during a two-week observation period.
Prahlad Jani spent two weeks in a hospital in the western India state of Gujarat under constant surveillance from a team of 30 medics equipped with cameras and closed circuit television.
During the period, he neither ate nor drank and did not go to the toilet.
"We still do not know how he survives," neurologist Sudhir Shah told reporters after the end of the experiment.
"It is still a mystery what kind of phenomenon this is."
The long-haired and bearded yogi was sealed in a hospital in the city of Ahmedabad as part of a study initiated by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the state defence and military research institute.
The DRDO hopes that the findings, which are set to be released in greater detail in several months, could help soldiers survive without food and drink, assist astronauts or even save the lives of people trapped in natural disasters.
"[Jani's] only contact with any kind of fluid was during gargling and bathing periodically during the period," G. Ilavazahagan, director of India's Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, said in a statement.
Jani has since returned home to his village near Ambaji in northern Gujarat where he will resume his regular routine revolving around yoga and meditation.
He says that he was blessed by a goddess at a young age, which gave him special powers.
During the 15-day observation, which ended Thursday, the doctors took scans of Jani's organs, brain and blood vessels, as well as doing tests on his heart, lungs and memory capacity.
"The reports were all in the pre-determined safety range through the observation period," Shah told reporters at a press conference last week.
Other results from DNA analysis, molecular biological studies and tests on his hormones, enzymes, energy metabolism and genes will take months to come through.
"If Jani does not derive energy from food and water, he must be doing that from energy sources around him, sunlight being one," said Shah.
"As medical practitioners we cannot shut our eyes to possibilities, to a source of energy other than calories."
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Yogi+doesn+ ... z0neDyBIy1
-
From_Alamut
- Posts: 666
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 am
Going nuts in your diet can cut cholesterol: study
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Going nuts in your diet can be good for your health, according to a study published Monday, which showed that eating nuts helps to lower blood cholesterol levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
People who ate an average of 67 grams (2.4 ounces) of nuts a day saw a 5.1 percent fall in total cholesterol concentration and a 7.4 percent drop in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) -- sometimes referred to as bad cholesterol -- concentration compared to no-nut eaters, the study showed.
People with high triglyceride levels who ate nuts saw a 10.2 percent fall in those blood lipid levels, said the study, which analyzed data from 25 trials conducted in seven countries, involving 583 men and women aged 19-86 with high or normal cholesterol levels.
All the trial data that were analyzed for the study compared nut-eaters to a control group that did not eat nuts. None of the participants were taking medication to lower their blood lipids.
Researchers led by Dr Joan Sabate of Loma Linda University in California found in the study published Monday in the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine that the benefits to health were the same no matter what nut is eaten.
A person's weight and baseline LDL cholesterol levels did, however, influence whatever benefits might be derived from eating nuts.
The higher the starting LDL-C, the greater the cholesterol-lowering effects of nuts, the study found.
And the lower a patient's body mass index -- in other words, if the patient was not overweight or obese -- the greater the effects of nuts on lowering cholesterol levels, the study found, urging more research to determine why nuts are less effective in lowering the blood cholesterol levels of obese people.
A person's diet also played a role in the effect nuts have on blood cholesterol levels.
Consumers of Western diets, which are high in saturated fat, got more benefits from nut-eating than those who already ate a healthy diet, high in monounsaturated olive oil, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables, the study found.
And there's more good news: the data analyzed for the study showed that the benefits of eating nuts remain with us for a long time; that nut consumption appears to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes; and, in spite of their high fat content, nuts don't necessarily make us fat.
"Research has shown that frequent nut consumption does not lead to weight gain," said the study.
"Increasing the consumption of nuts as part of an otherwise prudent diet can be expected to favorably affect blood lipid levels... and have the potential to lower coronary heart disease risk," it concluded.
Reference
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/100510/h ... holesterol
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Going nuts in your diet can be good for your health, according to a study published Monday, which showed that eating nuts helps to lower blood cholesterol levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
People who ate an average of 67 grams (2.4 ounces) of nuts a day saw a 5.1 percent fall in total cholesterol concentration and a 7.4 percent drop in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) -- sometimes referred to as bad cholesterol -- concentration compared to no-nut eaters, the study showed.
People with high triglyceride levels who ate nuts saw a 10.2 percent fall in those blood lipid levels, said the study, which analyzed data from 25 trials conducted in seven countries, involving 583 men and women aged 19-86 with high or normal cholesterol levels.
All the trial data that were analyzed for the study compared nut-eaters to a control group that did not eat nuts. None of the participants were taking medication to lower their blood lipids.
Researchers led by Dr Joan Sabate of Loma Linda University in California found in the study published Monday in the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine that the benefits to health were the same no matter what nut is eaten.
A person's weight and baseline LDL cholesterol levels did, however, influence whatever benefits might be derived from eating nuts.
The higher the starting LDL-C, the greater the cholesterol-lowering effects of nuts, the study found.
And the lower a patient's body mass index -- in other words, if the patient was not overweight or obese -- the greater the effects of nuts on lowering cholesterol levels, the study found, urging more research to determine why nuts are less effective in lowering the blood cholesterol levels of obese people.
A person's diet also played a role in the effect nuts have on blood cholesterol levels.
Consumers of Western diets, which are high in saturated fat, got more benefits from nut-eating than those who already ate a healthy diet, high in monounsaturated olive oil, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables, the study found.
And there's more good news: the data analyzed for the study showed that the benefits of eating nuts remain with us for a long time; that nut consumption appears to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes; and, in spite of their high fat content, nuts don't necessarily make us fat.
"Research has shown that frequent nut consumption does not lead to weight gain," said the study.
"Increasing the consumption of nuts as part of an otherwise prudent diet can be expected to favorably affect blood lipid levels... and have the potential to lower coronary heart disease risk," it concluded.
Reference
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/100510/h ... holesterol
'Miracle' boy sole survivor
Airliner crash in Libya claims 103 lives
By Imed Lamloum, Agence France-Presse May 13, 2010
StoryPhotos ( 2 )
More Images » Rescue workers examine debris from Afriqiyah Airways Flight 8U771, which crashed at Tripoli airport Wednesday killing all but one on board.Photograph by: Ismail Zitouny, Reuters, Agence France-PresseA
Libyan airliner arriving from South Africa disintegrated on landing at Tripoli airport Wednesday, killing 103 people but leaving an eight-year-old boy as the sole survivor, officials said.
Libyan Transport Minister Mohammed Ali Zidan said the dead included nationals of nine countries, but that a full 61 came from the Netherlands, which ordered flags on government buildings flown at half-mast as a mark of respect.
Zidan said the boy who survived was also Dutch, but the Foreign Ministry in The Hague was unable to confirm his nationality.
The boy underwent surgery at a Tripoli hospital where medical staff said his condition was not life-threatening.
"The boy suffered broken legs and was injured in the head," a hospital official told reporters.
Dutch broadcaster NOS, which interrupted normal programming to follow the crash developments, showed footage of the survivor with facial bruises in his hospital bed.
The Dutch daily Telegraaf said the child had been travelling with his parents and an 11-year-old sibling.
EU parliament president Jerzy Buzek described the boy's survival as "truly a miracle."
Last June, a 12-year-old girl was the sole survivor of a Yemeni plane crash off the Comoros.
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Mirac ... z0npw9sMb9
****
Bulgarian woman has twins at 62
Herald News ServicesMay 13, 2010
A 62-year-old Bulgarian woman has become the country's oldest first-time mother by giving birth to twins following an embryo transfer, the daily 24 Hours reported on Wednesday.
Krasimira Dimitrova, a psychiatrist from the northern city of Ruse, gave birth by caesarean section on May 5 to twin baby girls, named Mary and Jacqueline, who each weighed less than one kilogram.
Dimitrova told the newspaper in an interview that she was initially impregnated with triplets but doctors decided to remove one of the embryos.
"Age was not an obstacle for me . . . I so much wanted to have children," she said.
Dimitrova, who is soon to retire, said that she was resolved to become pregnant after the authorities refused to let her adopt a child because of her age.
"I would not like to look too much in the future. I hope that the babies will be well," she said.
Georgy Hubchev, the doctor who delivered the babies, told the state BTA news agency that this was only the second case in the world of a successful embryo transfer to a woman aged over 60 resulting in the birth of twins.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 7&sponsor=
Airliner crash in Libya claims 103 lives
By Imed Lamloum, Agence France-Presse May 13, 2010
StoryPhotos ( 2 )
More Images » Rescue workers examine debris from Afriqiyah Airways Flight 8U771, which crashed at Tripoli airport Wednesday killing all but one on board.Photograph by: Ismail Zitouny, Reuters, Agence France-PresseA
Libyan airliner arriving from South Africa disintegrated on landing at Tripoli airport Wednesday, killing 103 people but leaving an eight-year-old boy as the sole survivor, officials said.
Libyan Transport Minister Mohammed Ali Zidan said the dead included nationals of nine countries, but that a full 61 came from the Netherlands, which ordered flags on government buildings flown at half-mast as a mark of respect.
Zidan said the boy who survived was also Dutch, but the Foreign Ministry in The Hague was unable to confirm his nationality.
The boy underwent surgery at a Tripoli hospital where medical staff said his condition was not life-threatening.
"The boy suffered broken legs and was injured in the head," a hospital official told reporters.
Dutch broadcaster NOS, which interrupted normal programming to follow the crash developments, showed footage of the survivor with facial bruises in his hospital bed.
The Dutch daily Telegraaf said the child had been travelling with his parents and an 11-year-old sibling.
EU parliament president Jerzy Buzek described the boy's survival as "truly a miracle."
Last June, a 12-year-old girl was the sole survivor of a Yemeni plane crash off the Comoros.
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Mirac ... z0npw9sMb9
****
Bulgarian woman has twins at 62
Herald News ServicesMay 13, 2010
A 62-year-old Bulgarian woman has become the country's oldest first-time mother by giving birth to twins following an embryo transfer, the daily 24 Hours reported on Wednesday.
Krasimira Dimitrova, a psychiatrist from the northern city of Ruse, gave birth by caesarean section on May 5 to twin baby girls, named Mary and Jacqueline, who each weighed less than one kilogram.
Dimitrova told the newspaper in an interview that she was initially impregnated with triplets but doctors decided to remove one of the embryos.
"Age was not an obstacle for me . . . I so much wanted to have children," she said.
Dimitrova, who is soon to retire, said that she was resolved to become pregnant after the authorities refused to let her adopt a child because of her age.
"I would not like to look too much in the future. I hope that the babies will be well," she said.
Georgy Hubchev, the doctor who delivered the babies, told the state BTA news agency that this was only the second case in the world of a successful embryo transfer to a woman aged over 60 resulting in the birth of twins.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 7&sponsor=
'Jungle woman' flees back to forest home
Agence France-Presse
May 29, 2010
Cambodia's "jungle woman," whose story gripped the country after she apparently spent 18 years living in a forest, has fled back to the jungle, her father and local police said Friday.
Rochom P'ngieng, now 29, went missing as a little girl in 1989 while herding water buffalo in Ratanakkiri province, about 600 kilometres northeast of the capital, Phnom Penh.
In early 2007 the woman was brought from the jungle, naked and dirty, after being caught trying to steal food from a farmer. She was hunched over like a monkey, scavenging on the ground for pieces of dried rice.
"She must have fled back to the forest on Tuesday evening while she was going to take a bath," Sal Lou, the man who says he is her father, told AFP by telephone.
"I and my son are looking for her in the middle forest now," he said, adding that he believed "forest spirits" guided her back to the dense jungle.
Local police chief Ma Vichet said the authorities had also begun a search, but had found no sign of the woman.
"We also believe that she fled back to the jungle," Ma Vichet said.
Immediately after being taken from the jungle in 2007, Rochom P'ngieng could not utter a word of any intelligible language, instead making what her father calls "animal noises."
Cambodians described her as "jungle woman" and "half-animal girl" and since rejoining society she has battled bouts of illness after refusing food.
In December she began speaking normally, instead of making animal-type noises, and helping out around the house, according to her father.
The jungles of Ratanakkiri are some of Cambodia's wildest and most isolated.
Rochom P'ngieng has previously tried to flee back into the jungle but was stopped by her family, her father said.
Photo:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 8&sponsor=
Agence France-Presse
May 29, 2010
Cambodia's "jungle woman," whose story gripped the country after she apparently spent 18 years living in a forest, has fled back to the jungle, her father and local police said Friday.
Rochom P'ngieng, now 29, went missing as a little girl in 1989 while herding water buffalo in Ratanakkiri province, about 600 kilometres northeast of the capital, Phnom Penh.
In early 2007 the woman was brought from the jungle, naked and dirty, after being caught trying to steal food from a farmer. She was hunched over like a monkey, scavenging on the ground for pieces of dried rice.
"She must have fled back to the forest on Tuesday evening while she was going to take a bath," Sal Lou, the man who says he is her father, told AFP by telephone.
"I and my son are looking for her in the middle forest now," he said, adding that he believed "forest spirits" guided her back to the dense jungle.
Local police chief Ma Vichet said the authorities had also begun a search, but had found no sign of the woman.
"We also believe that she fled back to the jungle," Ma Vichet said.
Immediately after being taken from the jungle in 2007, Rochom P'ngieng could not utter a word of any intelligible language, instead making what her father calls "animal noises."
Cambodians described her as "jungle woman" and "half-animal girl" and since rejoining society she has battled bouts of illness after refusing food.
In December she began speaking normally, instead of making animal-type noises, and helping out around the house, according to her father.
The jungles of Ratanakkiri are some of Cambodia's wildest and most isolated.
Rochom P'ngieng has previously tried to flee back into the jungle but was stopped by her family, her father said.
Photo:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 8&sponsor=
'Normal bloke' kills 12 in rural England rampage
Agence France-PresseJune 3, 2010
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 3&sponsor=
A police officer guards the scene of a deadly shooting on Duke Street in Whitehaven, northern England, on Wednesday.
Photograph by: Derek Blair, AFP-Getty Images, Agence France-Presse
F riends and neighbours of Derrick Bird, who killed 12 people on a shooting spree Wednesday in northern England, have expressed shock that a "normal bloke" could wreak such devastation.
But according to one friend, Bird may have planned his killings in advance.
The 52-year-old taxi driver drove through the picturesque Lake District picking off his victims with rifle and a shotgun, witnesses said, in a terrifying rampage that only ended when he turned the gun on himself.
Police do not yet know what motivated the attack.
He had no history of mental illness, according to the local health authorities, but reports suggested a family rift over his mother's will could be to blame.
The Times newspaper reported that Bird's twin brother David was among his victims, as was the family's solicitor, Kevin J. Commons.
Peter Ledder, a friend of Bird's going back 20 years, told the Times that there had been some indication of what he was going to do.
In a conversation at midnight on Tuesday, less than 12 hours before he began his murderous attacks, Bird told him: "I won't see you again."
"He had never said anything like that before. I came into work in the morning and heard what was happening. He must have had it pre-planned," Ledder said.
Several local people expressed shock that the killer was the popular but quiet divorcee who lived alone in the village of Rowrah, who many just knew as Birdy.
He had two grown-up sons, one of whom had recently had his first son.
Michelle Haigh, the landlady at the Hound Inn pub where Bird would regularly pop in for a drink, said: "He was just a normal bloke.
"He was a nice guy, nothing out of the ordinary. He would come into the pub, have a couple of pints, have a chat with his friend and go home. This is not in character with the Derrick Bird we know."
"I have known him for 15 years. He was always pleasant, always had time to say hello," added Ryan Dempsey, 26, a neighbour in Rowrah.
"As far as I'm concerned this is completely out of character. I had never seen him in a bad mood."
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Agence France-PresseJune 3, 2010
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 3&sponsor=
A police officer guards the scene of a deadly shooting on Duke Street in Whitehaven, northern England, on Wednesday.
Photograph by: Derek Blair, AFP-Getty Images, Agence France-Presse
F riends and neighbours of Derrick Bird, who killed 12 people on a shooting spree Wednesday in northern England, have expressed shock that a "normal bloke" could wreak such devastation.
But according to one friend, Bird may have planned his killings in advance.
The 52-year-old taxi driver drove through the picturesque Lake District picking off his victims with rifle and a shotgun, witnesses said, in a terrifying rampage that only ended when he turned the gun on himself.
Police do not yet know what motivated the attack.
He had no history of mental illness, according to the local health authorities, but reports suggested a family rift over his mother's will could be to blame.
The Times newspaper reported that Bird's twin brother David was among his victims, as was the family's solicitor, Kevin J. Commons.
Peter Ledder, a friend of Bird's going back 20 years, told the Times that there had been some indication of what he was going to do.
In a conversation at midnight on Tuesday, less than 12 hours before he began his murderous attacks, Bird told him: "I won't see you again."
"He had never said anything like that before. I came into work in the morning and heard what was happening. He must have had it pre-planned," Ledder said.
Several local people expressed shock that the killer was the popular but quiet divorcee who lived alone in the village of Rowrah, who many just knew as Birdy.
He had two grown-up sons, one of whom had recently had his first son.
Michelle Haigh, the landlady at the Hound Inn pub where Bird would regularly pop in for a drink, said: "He was just a normal bloke.
"He was a nice guy, nothing out of the ordinary. He would come into the pub, have a couple of pints, have a chat with his friend and go home. This is not in character with the Derrick Bird we know."
"I have known him for 15 years. He was always pleasant, always had time to say hello," added Ryan Dempsey, 26, a neighbour in Rowrah.
"As far as I'm concerned this is completely out of character. I had never seen him in a bad mood."
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Brazilian fathered seven kids with daughter
Reuters
June 11, 2010
A farmer in Brazil is accused of holding his daughter captive for more than 15 years and fathering seven children with her, at least one of whom he also raped, police said on Thursday.
Police arrested Jose Agostinho Pereira, 54, in the northeastern state of Maranhao on Tuesday in a case echoing that of Austria's Josef Fritzl, who was found guilty last year of locking his daughter in a cellar and raping her over 24 years.
Pereira confessed to fathering some of the children with his daughter, Sandra Maria Monteiro, but denied sexually abusing them, police officer Adriana Meireles told Reuters from the town of Pinheiro near the community where he was arrested.
Monteiro, now 28, was about 12 years old when the sexual abuse is believed to have started, police said.
Police officers had to travel by canoe to reach Pereira's remote hut in Experimento, where they found six of the children between the ages of two and 12 undernourished, lacking clothes and apparently traumatized, she said
"It was five in the afternoon when we arrived and they still hadn't eaten all day, they were without clothes, dirty, scratched and had wounds on their bodies," said Meireles, the head of the civil police department for women in Pinheiro.
"Everyone in the community suspected it because the daughter would be pregnant, but always lived with her father. But the people there are simple and never said anything."
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 4&sponsor=
Reuters
June 11, 2010
A farmer in Brazil is accused of holding his daughter captive for more than 15 years and fathering seven children with her, at least one of whom he also raped, police said on Thursday.
Police arrested Jose Agostinho Pereira, 54, in the northeastern state of Maranhao on Tuesday in a case echoing that of Austria's Josef Fritzl, who was found guilty last year of locking his daughter in a cellar and raping her over 24 years.
Pereira confessed to fathering some of the children with his daughter, Sandra Maria Monteiro, but denied sexually abusing them, police officer Adriana Meireles told Reuters from the town of Pinheiro near the community where he was arrested.
Monteiro, now 28, was about 12 years old when the sexual abuse is believed to have started, police said.
Police officers had to travel by canoe to reach Pereira's remote hut in Experimento, where they found six of the children between the ages of two and 12 undernourished, lacking clothes and apparently traumatized, she said
"It was five in the afternoon when we arrived and they still hadn't eaten all day, they were without clothes, dirty, scratched and had wounds on their bodies," said Meireles, the head of the civil police department for women in Pinheiro.
"Everyone in the community suspected it because the daughter would be pregnant, but always lived with her father. But the people there are simple and never said anything."
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 4&sponsor=
Super Dad wants to have 100 Children by 2015...
AJMAN - AUG 20: A one-legged father-of-63 is preparing for his next two marriages as he closes in on his target of having 100 children by 2015.
UAE national Daad Mohammed Murad Abdul Rahman , 63, has already had 15 brides, though he divorces wives to make way for new ones in order to stay within the legal limit of four. His youngest child, Tariq, is 20 days old and his oldest, Ayoob, is 36. And he has more babies on the way from two of his three current wives.
Daad Mohamed with part of his family (photo)
Daad Mohammed lost a leg in a road accident and plans to have an artificial limb fitted in Jaipur in India – and while there he hopes to find one of his new brides. One more has already been lined up in Baluchistan , Pakistan .
"In 2015 I will be 68 years old and will have 100 children," he said. "After that I will stop marrying. I have to have at least three more marriages to hit the century.
"Two of my wives are pregnant and they will give birth within two months. Tariq was delivered by my wife Mariam. He is healthy and happy and will have two more brothers or sisters soon. And I am also happy because Allah is giving me more children." The retired truck-driver, policeman and soldier has two other babies – four month-old Alma and eight month-old Sara.
Two other children, Adnan and Sulaiman, are under two years old. His wives and ex-wives include Bedouins from the UAE plus women from India , Pakistan , Bangladesh , Iran and Oman . They live in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
Daad Mohammed, whose home is in Al Bustan, Ajman , spends time with each of them and has a family get together every Friday.
He is head of possibly the largest single UAE dynasty with 127 members, including 49 grandchildren, and has 15 houses. Two of his wives have died. Now he is going to have the same type of artificial limb – known as the Jaipur foot – that Indian dancer Sudha Chandran uses.
"After Ramadan, I will go to Jaipur to get an artificial leg and marry a beautiful Rajasthani girl," he told Emirates Today. "I have had seven Indian brides.
"At present I use a crutch to move around. I am told that the Jaipur foot works better than other artificial limbs."
Daad Mohammed said he received generous support from the Ajman Government, including houses and cash. He was paid a military pension of Dh24,000 a month by the Abu Dhabi Government.
"Even though my family is big, I don't have any problem managing the budget," he said. "If I buy fish for the entire family I have to spend a minimum of Dh500 per day. If the menu includes mutton at least Dh1,000 per day is required, and that's just for the meat." And despite having so many offspring he does not overlook the vital duty of any dad.
He added: "I take care of their requirements – and pay pocket money to each and every child."
We can only say……..
MASHA ALLAH…!!!!
*****
>
> Subject: Fwd: Bubba and Billy Bob's Solution To Clean Up An Oil
> Spill - Fantastic!!
> To:
> Received: Monday, June 14, 2010, 11:53 AM
>
> Pass this on to the oil giants & maybe the American President ??
>
> Uncomplicated solution from two farmers.
> Will the government listen? Probably not.
> Scroll down for video
>
> We have scientists, chemists, astronauts, doctors and biologists,
> but it takes two farmers to think up putting hay in the ocean. The
> oil sticks to the hay, then one just needs to collect the hay and
> use it for fuel to make electricity or ???
>
http://www.wimp.com/solutionoil/
AJMAN - AUG 20: A one-legged father-of-63 is preparing for his next two marriages as he closes in on his target of having 100 children by 2015.
UAE national Daad Mohammed Murad Abdul Rahman , 63, has already had 15 brides, though he divorces wives to make way for new ones in order to stay within the legal limit of four. His youngest child, Tariq, is 20 days old and his oldest, Ayoob, is 36. And he has more babies on the way from two of his three current wives.
Daad Mohamed with part of his family (photo)
Daad Mohammed lost a leg in a road accident and plans to have an artificial limb fitted in Jaipur in India – and while there he hopes to find one of his new brides. One more has already been lined up in Baluchistan , Pakistan .
"In 2015 I will be 68 years old and will have 100 children," he said. "After that I will stop marrying. I have to have at least three more marriages to hit the century.
"Two of my wives are pregnant and they will give birth within two months. Tariq was delivered by my wife Mariam. He is healthy and happy and will have two more brothers or sisters soon. And I am also happy because Allah is giving me more children." The retired truck-driver, policeman and soldier has two other babies – four month-old Alma and eight month-old Sara.
Two other children, Adnan and Sulaiman, are under two years old. His wives and ex-wives include Bedouins from the UAE plus women from India , Pakistan , Bangladesh , Iran and Oman . They live in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
Daad Mohammed, whose home is in Al Bustan, Ajman , spends time with each of them and has a family get together every Friday.
He is head of possibly the largest single UAE dynasty with 127 members, including 49 grandchildren, and has 15 houses. Two of his wives have died. Now he is going to have the same type of artificial limb – known as the Jaipur foot – that Indian dancer Sudha Chandran uses.
"After Ramadan, I will go to Jaipur to get an artificial leg and marry a beautiful Rajasthani girl," he told Emirates Today. "I have had seven Indian brides.
"At present I use a crutch to move around. I am told that the Jaipur foot works better than other artificial limbs."
Daad Mohammed said he received generous support from the Ajman Government, including houses and cash. He was paid a military pension of Dh24,000 a month by the Abu Dhabi Government.
"Even though my family is big, I don't have any problem managing the budget," he said. "If I buy fish for the entire family I have to spend a minimum of Dh500 per day. If the menu includes mutton at least Dh1,000 per day is required, and that's just for the meat." And despite having so many offspring he does not overlook the vital duty of any dad.
He added: "I take care of their requirements – and pay pocket money to each and every child."
We can only say……..
MASHA ALLAH…!!!!
*****
>
> Subject: Fwd: Bubba and Billy Bob's Solution To Clean Up An Oil
> Spill - Fantastic!!
> To:
> Received: Monday, June 14, 2010, 11:53 AM
>
> Pass this on to the oil giants & maybe the American President ??
>
> Uncomplicated solution from two farmers.
> Will the government listen? Probably not.
> Scroll down for video
>
> We have scientists, chemists, astronauts, doctors and biologists,
> but it takes two farmers to think up putting hay in the ocean. The
> oil sticks to the hay, then one just needs to collect the hay and
> use it for fuel to make electricity or ???
>
http://www.wimp.com/solutionoil/
Kalutskikh Brothers, "Minute of Fame", 1 tour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7btvLqKBJ3M&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh4XXuAz ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7btvLqKBJ3M&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh4XXuAz ... re=related
-
From_Alamut
- Posts: 666
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 am
Re: AMAZING STORIES
Meet Milo: Microsoft's virtual four-year-old boy who acts just like a real child
By Daniel Bates
Last updated at 4:57 PM on 15th July 2010
He will answer your questions and if you make fun of him he blushes and walks away.
In fact Milo is just like any other boy his age only with one important difference - he is a computer programme.
The four-year-old has been unveiled by Microsoft as the world’s first real virtual character who is convincing enough to be considered‘human’.
The player’s voice commands and physical movements are picked up by an infra-red sensor which works with artificial intelligence to interpret the player’s intonation and meaning, and respond accordingly.
On demonstrations his conversation is utterly believable and he replies to questions just like a real four-year-old.
At one point he throws the player a pair of goggles, and so enthralled is she that she bends down to pick them up, even though there is nothing to grab.
When asked if he has finished his school project, Milo sulks off with his head down, not looking at the camera to show that he has been chastised.
Microsoft claims the game marks a major shift away from joystick-based entertainment and brings Science Fiction into life.
And whilst the demonstrations are astonishing, one problem the company has to get over is just how creepy it is.
Milo is being designed for use by millions of people and that the more people play the game the smarter he will get - which sounds like a recipe for creating a Lawnmower Man-style nightmare.
‘Milo’ is a story-telling game about a little boy who's unhappy
Developer Peter Molyneux said he wanted to recreate the feeling he had as a four-year-old boy when his father told him a story about a robot.
He admitted that when he first showed off Milo ‘there was a huge row online about that with people saying 'this can't be real’’.
But he assured them it was and said he started the project because he wanted to ‘introduce a new revolution in storytelling.
‘Films, TV, even hallowed books, are just rubbish because they don't involve me,’ he said. ‘It's a sea of blandness.’
He added that he wanted to create a character ‘that seemed alive, that would look me in the eyes, and feel real.
Milo was first shown off in a demo at the E3 expo in 2009, but has not been seen since until the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Global conference in Oxford.
‘We're changing the mind of Milo constantly,’ Molyneux said. ‘No two people's Milos can be the same - you are actually sculpting a human being. Some of the things you are doing will change the course of his life.’
Milo works with the soon-to-be released Xbox 360 Kinect controller - as series of sensors, microphones and cameras interpret the player’s actions movements.
That combines with artificial intelligence he has developed by his own company, Lionhead Studios, which made use of psychological techniques to make it feel ‘real’.
Particular attention was paid to Milo’s facial expressions which are incredibly realistic, allowing him to blush and his nostrils to dilate, indicating he is stressed.
The game is still in the early stages of development so will not be available for some time but it has already sparked serious excitement.
‘After three-quarters of a hour, he recognises you, said Molyneux. ‘
Reference
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... child.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF_HXTQ7 ... r_embedded
By Daniel Bates
Last updated at 4:57 PM on 15th July 2010
He will answer your questions and if you make fun of him he blushes and walks away.
In fact Milo is just like any other boy his age only with one important difference - he is a computer programme.
The four-year-old has been unveiled by Microsoft as the world’s first real virtual character who is convincing enough to be considered‘human’.
The player’s voice commands and physical movements are picked up by an infra-red sensor which works with artificial intelligence to interpret the player’s intonation and meaning, and respond accordingly.
On demonstrations his conversation is utterly believable and he replies to questions just like a real four-year-old.
At one point he throws the player a pair of goggles, and so enthralled is she that she bends down to pick them up, even though there is nothing to grab.
When asked if he has finished his school project, Milo sulks off with his head down, not looking at the camera to show that he has been chastised.
Microsoft claims the game marks a major shift away from joystick-based entertainment and brings Science Fiction into life.
And whilst the demonstrations are astonishing, one problem the company has to get over is just how creepy it is.
Milo is being designed for use by millions of people and that the more people play the game the smarter he will get - which sounds like a recipe for creating a Lawnmower Man-style nightmare.
‘Milo’ is a story-telling game about a little boy who's unhappy
Developer Peter Molyneux said he wanted to recreate the feeling he had as a four-year-old boy when his father told him a story about a robot.
He admitted that when he first showed off Milo ‘there was a huge row online about that with people saying 'this can't be real’’.
But he assured them it was and said he started the project because he wanted to ‘introduce a new revolution in storytelling.
‘Films, TV, even hallowed books, are just rubbish because they don't involve me,’ he said. ‘It's a sea of blandness.’
He added that he wanted to create a character ‘that seemed alive, that would look me in the eyes, and feel real.
Milo was first shown off in a demo at the E3 expo in 2009, but has not been seen since until the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Global conference in Oxford.
‘We're changing the mind of Milo constantly,’ Molyneux said. ‘No two people's Milos can be the same - you are actually sculpting a human being. Some of the things you are doing will change the course of his life.’
Milo works with the soon-to-be released Xbox 360 Kinect controller - as series of sensors, microphones and cameras interpret the player’s actions movements.
That combines with artificial intelligence he has developed by his own company, Lionhead Studios, which made use of psychological techniques to make it feel ‘real’.
Particular attention was paid to Milo’s facial expressions which are incredibly realistic, allowing him to blush and his nostrils to dilate, indicating he is stressed.
The game is still in the early stages of development so will not be available for some time but it has already sparked serious excitement.
‘After three-quarters of a hour, he recognises you, said Molyneux. ‘
Reference
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... child.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF_HXTQ7 ... r_embedded
Associated Press
Texas mom told 911 operator she killed 2 children
By TERRY WALLACE , 07.21.10, 08:23 PM EDT
DALLAS -- A suburban Dallas mother accused of strangling her two young children told a 911 operator she killed them because they were autistic and she wanted "normal kids," according to a tape released Wednesday.
Irving police released the recording after Saiqa Akhter was charged with one count of capital murder in the strangling of her 5-year-old son, Zain Akhter, at the family's apartment Monday night. Police spokesman David Tull said another capital murder charge is pending in the slaying of her 2-year-old daughter, Faryaal Akhter, who died Tuesday night.
Police say the mother called 911 after attacking the children. In the recording, the woman identifies herself as Saiqa Akhter and repeatedly tells the operator she killed her two children. At one point during the recording, the woman hangs up and the dispatcher calls her back.
"I killed them. I killed both of them," she said. Later, she explained to the dispatcher that both children had turned blue and were lying on the bed in the master bedroom.
She told the operator she initially tried to poison the children with bathroom cleaner but they refused to drink it. When that didn't work, "I used a wire on their necks," she said.
When the operator asked the woman why she attacked her children, she said, "They're both not normal, not normal. They're autistic. Both are autistic." Pressed further, she said, "I don't want my children to be like that. ... I want normal kids."
At one point, water can be heard running in the background and the dispatcher asks what the woman is doing. She told the operator she was trying to wash the smell of cleaner off of her hands. The dispatcher then told the woman to go sit on a couch in the living room and wait for police.
At the end of the recording, police can be heard arriving at the home.
Akhter has requested a court-appointed attorney but one hasn't been assigned to her case yet, an Irving jail official said Wednesday. If convicted of capital murder, Akhter could face the death penalty, though prosecutors have not said if they will seek that punishment. Otherwise, she could face life in prison without parole.
Saiqa Akhter's uncle, Wasimul Haque, told The Dallas Morning News that his niece had been depressed since moving into a new apartment in Irving. Haque said Zain had autism and a severe speech impediment but had been improving and was in speech therapy.
The children's father, Rashid Akhter, emigrated from Pakistan in the late 1990s, the newspaper reported. He married Saiqa, who also is from Pakistan, several years later, it said.
Zain was buried Wednesday in Richardson, another Dallas suburb. Faryaal's funeral is scheduled for Thursday.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/07/ ... tner=email
Texas mom told 911 operator she killed 2 children
By TERRY WALLACE , 07.21.10, 08:23 PM EDT
DALLAS -- A suburban Dallas mother accused of strangling her two young children told a 911 operator she killed them because they were autistic and she wanted "normal kids," according to a tape released Wednesday.
Irving police released the recording after Saiqa Akhter was charged with one count of capital murder in the strangling of her 5-year-old son, Zain Akhter, at the family's apartment Monday night. Police spokesman David Tull said another capital murder charge is pending in the slaying of her 2-year-old daughter, Faryaal Akhter, who died Tuesday night.
Police say the mother called 911 after attacking the children. In the recording, the woman identifies herself as Saiqa Akhter and repeatedly tells the operator she killed her two children. At one point during the recording, the woman hangs up and the dispatcher calls her back.
"I killed them. I killed both of them," she said. Later, she explained to the dispatcher that both children had turned blue and were lying on the bed in the master bedroom.
She told the operator she initially tried to poison the children with bathroom cleaner but they refused to drink it. When that didn't work, "I used a wire on their necks," she said.
When the operator asked the woman why she attacked her children, she said, "They're both not normal, not normal. They're autistic. Both are autistic." Pressed further, she said, "I don't want my children to be like that. ... I want normal kids."
At one point, water can be heard running in the background and the dispatcher asks what the woman is doing. She told the operator she was trying to wash the smell of cleaner off of her hands. The dispatcher then told the woman to go sit on a couch in the living room and wait for police.
At the end of the recording, police can be heard arriving at the home.
Akhter has requested a court-appointed attorney but one hasn't been assigned to her case yet, an Irving jail official said Wednesday. If convicted of capital murder, Akhter could face the death penalty, though prosecutors have not said if they will seek that punishment. Otherwise, she could face life in prison without parole.
Saiqa Akhter's uncle, Wasimul Haque, told The Dallas Morning News that his niece had been depressed since moving into a new apartment in Irving. Haque said Zain had autism and a severe speech impediment but had been improving and was in speech therapy.
The children's father, Rashid Akhter, emigrated from Pakistan in the late 1990s, the newspaper reported. He married Saiqa, who also is from Pakistan, several years later, it said.
Zain was buried Wednesday in Richardson, another Dallas suburb. Faryaal's funeral is scheduled for Thursday.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/07/ ... tner=email
All but one survive crash
Colombian plane splits in three, but 130 live
Calgary HeraldAugust 17, 2010
Photo at:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 3&sponsor=
Officials said it was "a miracle" only one person died when a Columbian plane crashed on the Caribbean resort island of San Andres on Monday.
Photograph by: Navy Press, Reuters, Calgary HeraldA Boeing 737 crash-landed Monday on a Colombian resort island during a lightning storm, scattering passengers across the runway as it split in three, but somehow only one passenger died.
A 73-year-old woman suffered a heart attack and died in hospital, but officials said it was a "miracle" there were no more fatalities among the 130 survivors, most of whom suffered some kind of injury.
The plane was struck by lightning 80 metres above the tarmac at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla airport on the Caribbean island of San Andres, aviation officials said, but the cause of the crash was still under investigation.
Passengers were "literally scattered over the end of the runway," a police statement said.
The authorities later put the number of injured at more than 120, five of them seriously.
The most severely injured survivors were flown to Bogota for medical treatment later in the day, the island's police chief said.
"It's a miracle," National Police Gen. Orlando Paez said. "The skill of the pilot kept the plane from sliding off the runway. The engines of the aircraft shut down on impact."
U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in Washington that at least three U.S. citizens had been injured and were receiving medical care.
There were at least 16 foreigners on board the Boeing 737-300, including six French, four Brazilians, four Americans and two Costa Ricans.
"We all felt the plane was arriving very, very quickly on the tarmac," 28-year-old Virginie Giroux, one of the French passengers, told AFP.
"We did not feel the contact with the ground. We just saw everything flying, everything bursting in the plane," Giroux said.
Giroux and other passengers said the flight had been without incident otherwise.
"Suddenly we saw some light and felt thunder and then it was chaos," Katherine Lobo said.
Orlando Paez Baron, director of civil security from Colombia's national police, said the pilot had briefly lost control of the aircraft, but showed skill in keeping the plane on the runway.
"The impact dislodged the plane's motors and it split into three pieces," Baron said.
The plane, belonging to Colombia's Aires airline, left Bogota shortly after midnight local time and crashed in San Andres about two hours later, according to air traffic controllers.
San Andres Gov. Pedro Gallardo said it was only good fortune that prevented there being more casualties among the 131 people on board.
"We thank God for the miracle," he told national radio.
Gallardo was full of praise for rescuers who rushed to the scene and helped load the injured into police cars, ambulances, even taxis to get them to hospital.
"They . . . responded in a fantastic way, as if it was a routine operation," the governor said.
Experts suggested a sharp change in wind direction or an air pocket linked to lightning that struck the plane could have caused the crash.
Colombian plane splits in three, but 130 live
Calgary HeraldAugust 17, 2010
Photo at:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 3&sponsor=
Officials said it was "a miracle" only one person died when a Columbian plane crashed on the Caribbean resort island of San Andres on Monday.
Photograph by: Navy Press, Reuters, Calgary HeraldA Boeing 737 crash-landed Monday on a Colombian resort island during a lightning storm, scattering passengers across the runway as it split in three, but somehow only one passenger died.
A 73-year-old woman suffered a heart attack and died in hospital, but officials said it was a "miracle" there were no more fatalities among the 130 survivors, most of whom suffered some kind of injury.
The plane was struck by lightning 80 metres above the tarmac at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla airport on the Caribbean island of San Andres, aviation officials said, but the cause of the crash was still under investigation.
Passengers were "literally scattered over the end of the runway," a police statement said.
The authorities later put the number of injured at more than 120, five of them seriously.
The most severely injured survivors were flown to Bogota for medical treatment later in the day, the island's police chief said.
"It's a miracle," National Police Gen. Orlando Paez said. "The skill of the pilot kept the plane from sliding off the runway. The engines of the aircraft shut down on impact."
U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in Washington that at least three U.S. citizens had been injured and were receiving medical care.
There were at least 16 foreigners on board the Boeing 737-300, including six French, four Brazilians, four Americans and two Costa Ricans.
"We all felt the plane was arriving very, very quickly on the tarmac," 28-year-old Virginie Giroux, one of the French passengers, told AFP.
"We did not feel the contact with the ground. We just saw everything flying, everything bursting in the plane," Giroux said.
Giroux and other passengers said the flight had been without incident otherwise.
"Suddenly we saw some light and felt thunder and then it was chaos," Katherine Lobo said.
Orlando Paez Baron, director of civil security from Colombia's national police, said the pilot had briefly lost control of the aircraft, but showed skill in keeping the plane on the runway.
"The impact dislodged the plane's motors and it split into three pieces," Baron said.
The plane, belonging to Colombia's Aires airline, left Bogota shortly after midnight local time and crashed in San Andres about two hours later, according to air traffic controllers.
San Andres Gov. Pedro Gallardo said it was only good fortune that prevented there being more casualties among the 131 people on board.
"We thank God for the miracle," he told national radio.
Gallardo was full of praise for rescuers who rushed to the scene and helped load the injured into police cars, ambulances, even taxis to get them to hospital.
"They . . . responded in a fantastic way, as if it was a routine operation," the governor said.
Experts suggested a sharp change in wind direction or an air pocket linked to lightning that struck the plane could have caused the crash.
Nightmarish Nine-Day Traffic Jam: In China, Cars Crawl Along 60-Mile Stretch
August 23, 2010
Vehicles drive on the road through the central business district in Beijing on August 4, 2010. A traffic jam on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway, stretching more than 62 miles, has lasted more than nine days.
On a road trip once, two friends and I spent several hours in a traffic jam, baking under the summer sun. It was miserable.
We inched along the interstate, craning our necks out the windows, trying to figure out what caused the back-up. We watched the car's fuel gauge tick perilously close to "empty."
That was a bad bottleneck, but it's nothing compared to logjam in China.
According to China's state-run Global Times, "traffic authorities were still trying to cope with days-long congestion on a major national expressway, nine days after traffic slowed to a snail's pace."
That's right, the tie-up — which is 60 miles long! — has gone on for nine days.
Such circumstances call for creativity. To curb boredom, drivers and passengers are playing cards. Locals are hawking food — at a premium, Reuters reports.
Jamil Anderlini, deputy Beijing bureau chief for the Financial Times, says the traffic jam on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway is "a sign of things to come."
"The other side-effects of China's scorching economic growth, from poisonous air to worsening income inequality, are already well-known to all who visit the country," he writes. "But traffic jams like this could become much more common as consumers — in what is now the world's largest car market — snap up more than 10 million vehicles a year."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/201 ... jing-tibet
August 23, 2010
Vehicles drive on the road through the central business district in Beijing on August 4, 2010. A traffic jam on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway, stretching more than 62 miles, has lasted more than nine days.
On a road trip once, two friends and I spent several hours in a traffic jam, baking under the summer sun. It was miserable.
We inched along the interstate, craning our necks out the windows, trying to figure out what caused the back-up. We watched the car's fuel gauge tick perilously close to "empty."
That was a bad bottleneck, but it's nothing compared to logjam in China.
According to China's state-run Global Times, "traffic authorities were still trying to cope with days-long congestion on a major national expressway, nine days after traffic slowed to a snail's pace."
That's right, the tie-up — which is 60 miles long! — has gone on for nine days.
Such circumstances call for creativity. To curb boredom, drivers and passengers are playing cards. Locals are hawking food — at a premium, Reuters reports.
Jamil Anderlini, deputy Beijing bureau chief for the Financial Times, says the traffic jam on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway is "a sign of things to come."
"The other side-effects of China's scorching economic growth, from poisonous air to worsening income inequality, are already well-known to all who visit the country," he writes. "But traffic jams like this could become much more common as consumers — in what is now the world's largest car market — snap up more than 10 million vehicles a year."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/201 ... jing-tibet
-
From_Alamut
- Posts: 666
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 am
Subject: You gonna love this one
A lawyer and an Indian are sitting next to each other on a long flight. The lawyer is thinking that Indians are so dumb that he could get one over on them easy...
So the lawyer asks if the Indian would like to play a fun game.
The Indian is tired and just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and tries to catch a few winks. The lawyer persists, and says that the game is really, really a lot of fun.
"I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me only $5; you ask me one, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500," the lawyer says.
This catches the Indian's attention and to keep the lawyer quiet, he agrees to play the game.
The lawyer asks the first question. 'What's the distance from The Earth to the Moon?'
The Indian doesn't say a word, reaches into his pocket, pulls out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer.
Now, it's the Indian's turn. He asks the lawyer, 'What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?'
The lawyer uses his laptop and searches all references he could find on the Net. He sends e-mails to all the smart friends he knows, all to no avail. After one hour of searching he finally gives up. He wakes up the Indian and hands him $500. The Indian pockets the $500 and goes right back to sleep.
The lawyer is going nuts not knowing the answer. He wakes the Indian up and asks, 'Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?'
The Indian reaches in his pocket, hands the lawyer $5 and goes back to sleep.
Don't mess with Indians!!!
A lawyer and an Indian are sitting next to each other on a long flight. The lawyer is thinking that Indians are so dumb that he could get one over on them easy...
So the lawyer asks if the Indian would like to play a fun game.
The Indian is tired and just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and tries to catch a few winks. The lawyer persists, and says that the game is really, really a lot of fun.
"I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me only $5; you ask me one, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500," the lawyer says.
This catches the Indian's attention and to keep the lawyer quiet, he agrees to play the game.
The lawyer asks the first question. 'What's the distance from The Earth to the Moon?'
The Indian doesn't say a word, reaches into his pocket, pulls out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer.
Now, it's the Indian's turn. He asks the lawyer, 'What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?'
The lawyer uses his laptop and searches all references he could find on the Net. He sends e-mails to all the smart friends he knows, all to no avail. After one hour of searching he finally gives up. He wakes up the Indian and hands him $500. The Indian pockets the $500 and goes right back to sleep.
The lawyer is going nuts not knowing the answer. He wakes the Indian up and asks, 'Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?'
The Indian reaches in his pocket, hands the lawyer $5 and goes back to sleep.
Don't mess with Indians!!!
-
From_Alamut
- Posts: 666
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 am
ELECTRICITY MAN - HIGH VOLTAGE HUMAN CONDUCTOR FROM INDIA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mw77RNe ... r_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mw77RNe ... r_embedded
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From_Alamut
- Posts: 666
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 am
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From_Alamut
- Posts: 666
- Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 am